Helen Dobrensky saw the the avant Première of the dramatic film TROPICO de SANGRE, illustrating the life and death of the three Mirabal sisters, on November 4th at UNESCO. In 1999, the United Nations established the day of November 25th, as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to commemorate the murder of the three Mirabal sisters. Ms. Dedé Mirabal still lives in the same household they all grew up. She has been responsible for keeping their le...

   ISOLA: Port in Slovenia From: Helen Dobrensky DAY ONE : Kino Otok, Slovenia Outstanding films of developing countries, cinephiles and friends gathered together again, September 8th, 2010, on the Adriatic Coast, for the KINOTOK Isola Cinema Festival - a laid-back feast of cinema off the beaten track in SLOVENIA.        This charming Mediterranean town, until year 1796, was a former part of the Republic of Venice, across the Bay...

Lee Hye-Young in Paris Cinémathèque Lobby Photos by Helen Dobrensky Dainty Korean Actress Revives Legacy of her Maverick Film Director Dad LEE Man-Hee 이만희   Slender, elegant Korean beauty, LEE Hye-Young, one of the country`s famous actresses, flew into Paris for a few days early June, from SEOUL, to present the exclusive and unprecendented tribute to her father LEE MAN HE, Korea`s unforgettable national cinematographer who disappeared at the too early age of...

UDINE Teatro Giovani: Photo : Helen Dobrensky     23rd April/1st May 2010 - Teatro Nuovo “Giovanni da Udine” and Visionario FAR EAST FILM 12 50 thousand spectators: a record-breaker for the twelfth edition! The Korean masterpiece Castaway On The Moon triumphs at the Audience Awards 2010! In the spotlight is also Japan, with Accidental Kidnapper, and Indonesia, with The Dreamer. UDINE – A time of success for Far East ...

 Fred and LUNG KONG at Udine FAREAST Film Festival 2010 One of the most, if not THE most ubiquitous photojournalists covering the 12th edition of FAREAST UDINE Film Festival is without a doubt,  Frederic AMBROISINE. Referring to himself as an expert on ASIAN Cinema and acquisitions consultant, you can count on seeing Frederic on a daily basis, early in the morning, wherever the action is, at the CINEMA GIOVANI, Visionario, and at ALL the press conferences. Usually stationed in ...

This probably is not the same in other cultures. How do you differ from your peers in cinema in Hong Kong ? I choose the topics I want and stick to them, no matter what. I don't sollicit co-productions, so my films are completely Hong Kong productions. It is essential for me to maintain absolute director's control.   Have you had any offers to work for Hollywood ? In fact, I have, but I refused because I want that complete artistic control over my work under a...

How did Gabriele Roberti (an Italian composer based in Hong Kong) get into the project to compose the music for the film ? Gabriele : " I come from a small town in Italy and had no connections in Rome, so I started sending out demos of my work and got an offer for a film in Hong Kong. PANG saw it and one of his agents contacted me. When I read the first three lines of the synopsis of DREAM HOME, I really went for the idea and made up my score from there. The nice thing about w...

Dream Home, the incredible slasher movie, in Udine for its World Premiere and directed by Hong Kong's Pang ho-cheung, who will be guest of honour amongst all the stars appearing at the festival. Theme : If your dream home costs a fortune, how can you lower its price? Simple. Kill all of your future neighbours and you will soon find that potential buyers are put off. This is the  strategy used by Josie Ho to give her brother and dying father a new home. Pang Ho-Cheung writes grues...

On its final day, the Far East Film Festival, awaits announcement this evening, May 2nd, of its 3 prizes, THE AUDIENCE AWARDS. Will it be a film from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines - some of the featured works this year. The event has come a long route from its early beginnings eleven years ago, when it specialized only in films from Hong Kong. Initiated and organised by the Associazione Culturale Centro Espressioni Cinematofgrafiche (Cec) , it has now put the bautiful Nor...

    Fareast wrap On its final day, the Far East Film Festival, awaits announcement this evening, May 2nd, of its 3 prizes, THE AUDIENCE AWARDS. Will it be a film from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines - some of the featured works this year. The event has come a long route from its early beginnings eleven years ago, when it specialized only in films from Hong Kong. Initiated and organised by the Associazione Culturale Centro Espressioni Cinem...

              Transformation                                                                   A Film About Armenian Culture   Helen Dobrensky and Arman Tadevosyan, a native of GYUMRI, Armenia are pleased to invite you to see a short documentary online at : http://www.onlinefilm.org/-/film/28682     ONLINEF...

FIFET       VISIONS OF SLAVERY IN CINEMA   This is the theme of the 9th edition of the Festival international du film contre l'exclusion et pour la tolérance « Visions de l’esclavage au cinéma » organised by FIFET, held December 5th through 13th at UNESCO in Paris, FRANCE.   In conjunction with the Unesco-themed program on the "Slave Route", several features dedicated to aspects of slavery from countries ...

                W.C. FIELDS A PERSONAL GLANCE AT W.C. FIELDS   Although Dr. Harriet FIELDS never got a chance to call the stage, silent film and talkies comic legend 'Grandpa' (he died shortly before she was born), as the only granddaughter of the star, she feels strongly about familiarising the world with the true persona of the artist. Prese...

"THE SCENT OF OAK" spearheads 1st TRAVELLING CARRIBBEAN FILM SHOWCASE : April 14-18 at UNESCO, Paris   This new travelling film showcase from the Caribbean region, chaired byCuban filmmaker, Rigoberto LOPEZ, at UNESCO, recently showed a selection of  features  and shorts chosen among 21 participating Caribbean countries.Under the umbrella of UNESCO to promote creativity, language and cultural diversity, supported by the Cuban Institute of Art and  Cinematographic Industry and Ca...

A new short documentary TRANSFORMATION, shot in Kars, Eastern Turkey, is ready to unreel at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. Dedicated to the great Armenian lyrical poet Yeghishe Charents, true to its title, the film explores cultural changes imposed on Armenian structures throughout time. Conceived by a young artist-painter, Arman Tadevosyan, native of Gyumri, Armenia, in collaboration with German Cameraman and filmmaker Thomas Balkenhol, who teaches cinema art at the An...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UNA STORIA SACILESE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT WOMAN ??Showing at the 2007 Cannes Short Film Corner  Tuesday 22nd May at 1 :15 "Il Racconto de Teresa De Poi and Constante Toffoli"Written and Directed by Helen DOBRENSKY and Irela NUNEZStarring Teresa De Poi e Costante Toffoli21 minShot in Sacile and Polcenigo, lush Northern Italy, with original music by Repertorio Popolare dell'Altolivenzan, docu brings y...

  Festival du Cinéma Brésilien de Paris 25 April through 8 May, 2007 FESTIVAL DE CINEMA DO BRASIL IN PARIS The first week of this 9th two-prong event (feature competition and then documentaries) has ended at the L’Arlequin Cinema in Paris 'trendy Quartier Latin with the presence of top-knotch Brazilian filmmakers, actors and producers, flown over for the event to present each of the two doze...

                        A CONVERSATION WITH BILL GATES Flying in to Paris, February 1st, on the leg of his 4-day European VISTA launching tour, MICROSOFT Chairman and Co-founder, Bill GATES, was Guest of Honour at the 2007 SALON DES ENTREPRENEURS, held in the Paris Congress Center. Before an audience of 4000 in the huge Palais de Congrès auditorium, he also addressed as their sponsor, the young winners of t...

2nd INDIA INTERNATIONAL WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL NEW DELHI, 11th TO 18 DEC. 2006 Venue: SIRI FORT AUDITORIUM 1, 2, 3, 4/BANGA SANSKRITI MANCH (GOLE MARKET) No. of Films : 130 Participating country : 30 Competition : World Cinema (feature), Participating Countries: France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Russia, India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Mexico, Cuba, Romania, Belgium, Switzerland, Israel, Luxemburg etc. Competition : Documentary &...

The 45th International Film Festival for Children and Youth, which started in Zlín on Sunday, May 29, 2005 and closes this Saturday, June 4.Not only, the wife of well-known British actor Michael York (both guests at Zlin Festival) , Pat York is an accomplished artist in her own right. Pat York started as a journalist for Vogue in New York. Later she worked with Glamour around the world as a reporter in the Travel section. She became a freelance photographer and her work appeared in numerous mag...